Method of manufacturing gas.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. LEON P. LOWE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING GAS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentean'rav 1, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON P. LowE, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in the Method of Manufacturing as, of which the following is a specification.

My-invention relates to an improved method of manufacturin gas, from oil especially, more economically t an heretofore.

In practicing this invention I employthe a paratus herein illustrated and described, w ich forms the subject of a se ara-te application filed of even date herewit In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a broken side elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a broken front view of the same. Fig. 3 is a broken plan view.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents an L-shaped casing lined with refractory material 2. The upright member is divided by arches 3 into u per and lowerchambers 4 and 5, said are es bein spaced from each other, as shown in dotted lines at 6 in Fig. 2,

to permit the gases to pass between the twochambers. In said chambers 4 and 5 are piles of refractory material 7 8. The lower pile 8 of refractory material is supported by arches 9 above a chamber 10, which commu nicates with a combustion and coking chamber 11 over a wall 12, extendingtransversely near the end of said chamber 11 next to said chamber 10, the top of said wallbeing arched, as shown, and approaching closely to the arched roof of/said combustion and coking chamber.

13 is a jet-eXhauster located upon the top of the combustion-chamber over the arched Wall, leading to an auxiliary flue 14.

15 is the main flue, leading to the stack 28 and controlled by the valve 18.

16 is an oil-inlet for supplying oil for combustion to be burned at the top of said combustion and coking chamber.

17 is a steam-pi e at the top of the chamber 4, 19 an oil-1n et at the top of the chamber 5, 25 bein the steam-supply pipe for injecting said oi and 20 a gas-outlet.

21 is the door for the coking-chamber.

22 is a valve on the jet-exhauster 13.

23 is an air-supply ipe leading to the chamber 11 and contro led by a valve 24. 25 re resents manholes leading to the various chain ers in the structure.

.The operation of the apparatus is as follows: Oil admitted into the combustionchamber through the oil-supply 16 and is:

burned therein, the products of combustion passing through two chambers 5 4 and thoroughly heating the refractorymaterial therein and escapingu the flue 15. After said refractory materia has been sufficiently heated the oil-supply and the air therefor are cut off. The valve 18 is also closed and steam is admit ed through the steam-pipe 17 at the top of t e chamber 4, and at the same time oil is admitted through the pipe 19 at the top of the chamber 5. The steam is thus thoroughly superheated, and the oil and superheated steam passin through the piles of refractory material in t e chamber 5 are disassociated and recombine as carbon monoxid, hydrogen, and hydrocarbon gases, escaping by the gas-outlet 20 to an ordinary seal. The process thus far described, however, is not new; but in practicing the above method. of gas-making when this alternate process of heating the refractory material and gas-making has been completed a deposit of carbon is formed upon the refractory material in the chamber 5. It has heretofore been the practice to burn off this carbon in the first part of the operation of reheatin This gives rise to a'disagreeable smoke, whic is objectionable to persons living in the neighborhood. Moreover, it is a waste of heat values. I therefore adopt the following method of disposing of this carbon deposit: After the operation of gas-makin has been concluded the steam and oil supp y are shut ofl, the valves 22 and 18 are opened, the jetexhauster 13 is put in operation, and a current of air is caused to pass down through the upper pile of fire-brick. This air becomes intensely heatedfand the result'is that upon reaching the lower pile of firebrick upon which is de osited the carbon the carbon is ignited by t e air and is burned off, the combustion being perfect, and the products of the combustion escaping through the auxlliary flue 14. By this means not only are the above objections avoided, but I retain the heat' of combustion ofjthe carbonaceous deposit for'subsequent recovery in the opposlte direction in WhlCh it was generated.

Instead of a jet-exhauster any other preferred means may be used or creating the current of airto burn u th carbon.

The following is anotlier important step in my process of manufacturin gas: The tarry and carbonaceous residues om gas-making IIO have heretofore been used for feeding furnaces ;'but the following is a more economical Way of utilizing the same. Said residues are collect 'dand placed in the lower portion of the cokingchamber. 1 1' through the door 21, and when the oil is burned i n the upper portion of said chamber fdr h ei'riiiig the piles of refractory material the resgdgres'are coked by the radiant heat from the arch of the coking-. chamber and also by the gases arising during the heating of said residues, as in the beehive rocess of making coke from bituminous coal. he'gas thus formed is burned to assist in the heating of the refractory material during the heating part of the operation, and duringthe gas-making part thereof it is recovered and added to the other manufactured gases. Evidently this utilization of ,these residues is more economical than that heretofore made.

I claim v 1. The method of manufacturing gas which consists in passing highly-heated products of combustion throu h a chamber having therein loosely piled re actory material to highly .heat the same, then shutting off the supply of air and fuel and passing steam and hydrocarbonaceous material through said highlyheated refractory material in the opposite direction, to make gas, then shut ting off the supply of gas-making steam and hydrocarbonaceous material and causing a current of air to pass in the same direction as the last through said loosely-piled refractory material to burn off the carbonaceous deposits and utilize the combustion thereof to heat the refractory material, and then repeating the process of heating up preparatory to gas-makm'g, substantially as described.

2. The process of making gas which 0011- sists in passing highly-heated products of combustion through two chambers in succession furnished with loosely-piled refractory material to highly heat the same, then shutting off the air and fuel and passing in the opposite direction steam through both chamb ers and hydrocarb onaceous material through the second .chamber to make gas, then shutting off the gas-making steam and hydrocarbonaceous material and passing air through said chambers to burn off the carbonaceous deposit and utilize the combustion thereof to heat the refractorymaterial, and then repeating the process of heating preparatory to gasmaking, substantially as described.

3. The process of making gas which consists in burning oil to heat refractory material preparatory to gas-making, simultaneously utilizing the heat of the combustion of the oil to coke carbonaceous material, burn ing the gas produced by said coking to asslst in heating the refractory material, and then using said highly-heated refractory material tomake gas, substantially'as described.

4. The process of making gas Which consists in burning oil to heat refractory material preparatory to gas-making, simultaneously utilizing the heat of the combustion of the oil to coke carbonaceous material,burning the gas produced by said coking to assist in heating the refractory material, using the heat of the refractory material to make gas and adding thereto the gas obtained from the coking of the carbonaceous material, substantially as described.

. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

L. P. LOWE.

l/Vitnesses FRANCIS M. WRIGHT, BESSIE GORFINKEL. 

